The Mommy & Lexie Story

About Me

Lou Ann

Mom to Lexie from Aktau Kazakhstan, whom I adopted between May 20 thur July 20, 2007 (go to those posts if you'd like to read about my time in Kazakhstan.) Lexie is a funny, intelligent, outgoing and sensitive little girl and I couldn't be happier or more blessed to be her mommy.

Map of Kazakhstan

It's that time of year again. Time to get the colored eggs and various bunnies and chicks out of their boxes to once again remember that......Christ Has Risen?! Sorry but I just don't see the connection. The jolly Saint who gives children presents on the day of the birth of the Christ Child now that makes a certain kind of sense but a bunny that lays colored eggs and leaves sweets for kids in a basket with fake grass....where did that come from? I am going to have to look that one up.

(just a random shot of Lexie at her dance class...too cute!)

Anyway - Lexie and I have done a couple of things to prep for the bunny. Last weekend we put a few dozen plastic eggs around the "gardens" in the front yard. My neighbor did it last year and Lexie begged me to do it to our yard this year. So I blatantly stole the idea but I should have just asked her what she did to make them not blow away. First we tried sand because they had this cool blue play sand at the store and I thought Lexie would have fun filling them.

She did but these silly eggs all have holes in them. How I didn't notice that through the years I'll never know. But after doing a dozen only to look down and see little blue piles forming under each egg was more than a little discouraging. Plus I didn't want the blue sand all over the yard. So I sent Lexie off to get some of the smaller rocks between the sidewalk and the road while I dumped the first dozen out and started over. This was the look I got when I told her the plan....

This worked well enough but I have to say last year the flowers and trees were already starting to bloom and I guess my neighbor had at least 100 eggs because it looked a little bare when we were done.

But Lexie liked it which is all that really matters. She even put some in the pots we'd planted earlier that day.

As for our next Easter project, well every year a local photographer has "Pics & Chicks" 10 days before Easter. It's where she has her studio set up in a cute spring setting along with live baby chicks and a bunny. Ever year I've managed to get Lexie there for a shot. You don't get them on a disc so I can't show you the pictures that are so sweet but here she is on the way. This year she told me she NEEDED a purse so the mouse Angelina Ballerina joined the chicks & bunny. Lexie told me this was her big girl look. I am in soooo much trouble.

After her pictures, I had to stop at my office and she saw these daffodils growing in the field next door. I've had to explain several times that flowers can only be pick if they are growing wild not in a pot or garden or even just in someones yard...sorry neighbor Bob. So when she saw these flowers she KNEW they were hers for the pickin'.

It's strange how the daffodil almost glows in this shot.

Funny thing is she didn't keep them. She gave them all to Ms Andrea the receptionist at my office who sometimes watches her for me. I thought for sure I'd be nursing them for a few days in a paper cup at home.

Well today it was time for the real prep. Arts & crafts....and you thought I was going to say color eggs didn't you? Nope, not yet anyway. First I let her glitter paint a bunny mask.

Then it was on to the main event.....a bunny house. Yup a gingerbread house decorated for the fluffy little guy. I picked up the kit last year on super clearance so I made it very clear to Lexie that she would not be eating this when it was done. I think she made up for it with the icing though. This girl takes her beater licking seriously!

While she was waiting for the icing to mix she sang "I'm a little tea pot."

Even without a video I think you can pretty much tell what she's doing.

She was actually going for a quick dip of the icing for her finale. She's getting sneaky as she gets older. But she did a lot of the frosting on the house and was very focused on her work.

But wait. She had to take another beater licking break.

Then it was down to the serious business of decorating. She was set on making the candies be in a pattern. She really work hard to get everything just the way she wanted it.

Soon it wasn't enough for her to just put on the candy and spread the icing. She wanted to try the icing bag. I figured it's her house so why not.

I love the evidence of her childish beater licking with the very focused look of concentration on her "big girl" task. Naturally she had to try the blue next. She was so proud of herself!

And again she amazes me with what she knows and how she can apply it. The picture on the box shows green grass around the house. In the instructions they suggested mixing green food coloring with shredded coconut for the grass. Since we just ate the last bag of coconut, ha (really do a lot of you just have shredded coconut on hand?) I found some green sprinkles we could put on over the remaining blue icing. Lexie said "hey we have blue and yellow which makes green so we can mix them to make the grass." Nice thinking!!

Finally we added the little bunnies...

and a bunch of "eggs"

﻿WA-LA!! A bunny palace even the Easter Bunny himself would be proud to call his own.

Since we used every piece of candy included in the kit (which was my goal...candy on the house not in the mouth) I had a hard time convincing her that it was yucky and she wouldn't want to eat it.

She was very sure she would love it and it would taste deeeelicious. Here she is pretending to be a bunny who should be able to eat it. How could I resist?

Well I did. The house is in tack and Lexie got to have chocolate yogurt for dessert so everyone is happy (especially Mommy since I won't have to make an emergency trip to the dentist this weekend.)

When you hear that someone you love needs to wear corrective gear you, of course, feel concern for their condition and how it will affect them. But you also worry about how others will treat them (and you if you are honest with yourself.) So when my sister called to say that one of the twins, Maddie had to where a helmet to correct her very lopsided, misshapen head, I naturally felt all those things. Until I got this picture.....

Could she look any cuter?!!? Maybe she'll start a new trend for babies. And the great news is that after just a few days her head is already reshaping itself. So a little "protection" now will prevent her from ridicule and self consciousness later.

This morning I asked Lexie to let the dogs go out. She came back upstairs to tell me she had to "talk to the dogs." What did she need to talk to them about? She said "no tripping humans!" Good rule, Lexie.

On our drive to school I hear from the back seat "Mommy did you know the rings of Saturn are made of dust and ice" soon followed by "Mommy, you know God is Jesus' daddy?" I have no idea how these two pearls of wisdom are related but at least she got her facts right!

"A tadpole can't breath air with his gills. He has to wait until he grows lungs to breath air" was another fact of life Lexie shared just before she brushed her teeth the other night.

Another thought that came to Lexie as we were driving that she felt compelled to share was "Uncle Jim-Jim is a prickly face and Maddie & Maddox are not. But they puke from their noses." I guess that makes them even?

Every time she sees the number 12 she says "that's Cody" (that's how old her cousin Cody is) and a 22 elicits a "that's your birthday Mommy" no matter what the 22 has to do with. So sweet.

She knows our phone number, address and how to spell her full name and will spout it out at the most interesting times like if she meets a new child that asks "what's your name" she'll say "Alexis Falen Quast 360-....." The poor child will get a blank look in her eyes like "but what am I supposed to call her?"

We were waiting in line at the store and Lexie saw a man scratching a lottery scratch ticket.
L: Mommy, can we get one of those so I can itch it?

I love it when she says "excuse me" to the dogs.

I handed Lexie her pajama top & pants to put on the other night and she said "Actually, I prefer a gown madam" as she curtsied to me. After I stopped laughing I got her a gown.

Since buying Tangled the day after it came out (because I think it is hands down the best princess movie made) Lexie loves to play the parts while watching the movie. Of course her favorite is Rapunzel and she must dress like her. Lexie has informed me that her hair is NOT long enough so she came up with this to solve her problem. Plus I've been told that we can't cut her hair again until it at least touches her feet.....which should be about Aug at the rate her hair grows.

Note the frying pan (aka a plastic garden trowel), the purple dress she got for her second birthday (which is clearly too short but is still too big for her torso) and of course, her "pink hair" that she tied off to a crown. Pretty smart hue? Lexie really gets into her roles these days. Too adorable!!

A CHILD IN BLOOM

As I embark on this adventure to Aktau, Kazakhstan to adopt my first child, this painting of a Rose comes to mind. I've always loved how all the adult hands surround and protect the baby's hand but at the same time are open enough for the tiny fist to grow. That's how I see this whole adoption process. So many people with one child's best interest at heart. And with each person giving this child a hand she will bloom into the best person she can be. God has given me a wonderful gift by allowing me to help this child learn and grow. I'm so grateful to all the people who have supported me (and I hope will continue to support me) through this life challenging experience.